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Chapman Fields
Laws *Kindred are not to feed in this area without explicit permission. *Patients at the Women's Health Care center are not to be troubled or molested. Places of Interest 'Chapman Fields Shopping Center '(Location) Anchored by a Big Basket grocery store, this strip plaza contains nine shops (one currently vacant) that sell liquor, pizza, cheap shoes and clothing, greeting cards and other staples of modern material existence. 'Kingsmouth Welcome Center '(Streetwise 1 Site) This small office is operated by the Kingsmouth Chamber of Commerce and is located across from Independence Square, next to the Police Department. It's actually a 1920's era gray passenger bus (its wheels removed) converted to a small booth with a customer service window cut into one side, facing the road. The small destination sign above the driver's windshield atop the roof says "Innsmouth." If asked about the sign, the friendly, ill-trained volunteer will not know anything about it. The Welcome Center caters to vacationers, day-trippers, and newcomers. Information and pamphlets on local attractions, shopping, and accommodations is available. Staffed exclusively by volunteers, it is often closed at inopportune times. 'Kingsmouth Police Headquarters '(Investigation 5, Larceny/Streetwise/Intimidation 3 Site) The police department moved from its original station on East Armitage Street to this gray, industrial looking building over twenty years ago. It reminds the viewer of 1930s German architecture. Large darkly tinted oval windows are set in uniformed rows on this three story concrete structure. These windows are not bulletproof. Arrestees are driven below the building directly into a holding area where other officers are on hand if assistance is needed. There are eight cells at the Arkham station: six are for adult males, and there is one each for adult female and juvenile detainees. Apprehended suspects are first taken to the booking office here at Kingsmouth Police Headquarters, read their rights, officially charged, and offered one phone call. They are held here only until they can be transported to Kingsmouth Jail for pre-trial hearings. Friday and Saturday nights often find the jail crowded with the drunk and disorderly, (much like the hospital). 'Arkham Women's Health Care '(Medicine 3/Empathy 2 Site) Specializing in health care for women, this medical office also quietly provides pregnancy terminations. It blends into a variety of adjacent buildings, totally anonymous behind an exterior of pine shingles and gypsum board straight out of the Seventies. Lights flood the parking lot and entrance through a heavy glass door. Access is only provided by way of a buzzer or swiped electronic pass, admitting access to a cozy foyer decorated by images of seascapes and a television usually tuned to the Food Network or the Travel Channel. Literature focuses exclusively on women's and children's health issues, and the compassionate nursing staff is efficient and capable. Most of the security measures are well-hidden for sake of the patients. A full suite of offices and exam rooms are tucked away behind the secured reception, labeled with many signs. Nearby Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church sporadically conducts protests on the sidewalk outside the clinic. 'Arkham Public Library '(Academics 3/Computers 1 Site) Arkham's Public Library received some of the impressive collection from Arkham University when that institution closed down. The library holds approximately 100,000 volumes and a thriving circulation of popular titles. A growing media collection rounds out the collection. The building was extensively refurbished and a spacious, sunny children’s room added two years ago thanks to state grant funding. Weekly children’s and seniors’ events are held, as are talks and classes by local experts and interested persons. Hours are 11am to 7pm, Monday-Friday, and 10am to 2pm Saturday. 'Arkham Courthouse Apartments '(Housing, Resources ****+) With all Kingsmouth civil and criminal court proceedings now handled in Kingsport, and with a large, modern county correctional facility in Middleton, the old Arkham courthouse and jail were closed in the early 1980s. For years the old stone and brick structure sat abandoned, growing weeds behind a chain link fence before the property was purchased and transformed into stately apartments for upscale residents. The new sellers quietly lobbied and were granted permission to change the old street address from 666 to 667, and the old building formerly known as “Arkham Courthouse and Jail” was rechristened “Arkham Courthouse Apartments,” the “jail” part conveniently dropped. Today, these fine apartments are very expensive and very nice, in the heart of the old common district. A hired building representative (or unarmed security guard after hours) sits in the front lobby at all times. The hallways are wide and well-lit, with deep carpeting throughout; potted ferns soften corners. Shared facilities include mailroom, small workout gymnasium, elevator, common lounge (which can be requested for use by occupants holding the occasional larger gathering), and underground parking garage – very nice during harsh New England winters. 'Kingsmouth City Hall '(Investigation/Politics 4 Site) Completely rebuilt in 2008, the new four-story brick city hall is impressive, a model of civic pride. It is fiercely modern, all steel and glass and cool marble. There is a full-time mayor and six city councilors. They meet every other week, with the mayor being the tie-breaking vote. Any citizen can speak in front of the committee, if they call the city clerk and place their item on the agenda at least two business days before the meeting. City Hall houses the Building Department (building permits and business licenses; code regulations and zoning information); the Clerk's Department (dog, lottery and marriage licenses; registration of births and deaths; elections and voters lists; assessment rolls and by-law information); the Engineering Department (the design and construction of all roads, sidewalks, bridges and sewers. Maps and schematics of Arkham's sewers are stored here. Yellowing maps, some dating back two hundred years or more, are stored in the basement and show the oldest sewers -- many of which are long forgotten); the Public Works Department (maintenance of all parks and playgrounds, cemeteries, streets, sidewalks and sewers, traffic and street lights, garbage collection and snow clearing); the Finance Department (budgets, tenders and collection of municipal taxes); the Fire Department (the prevention and suppression of fires; the provision of emergency rescue services, fire prevention education and fire safety inspections); the Human Resources Department (employment, staff/labor relations, employee benefits, health and safety, staff training and development). the Parks Department (all matters relating to recreation and cultural services, parks, facilities and community centers); the Planning Department (planning policy and rezoning applications); and the Transit Department (operates the town's public transportation system and charters within Kingsmouth). Next to city hall stands two five-foot tall granite blocks; a reminder of the two Arkham residents who died on 9/11 as their plane crashed into the first tower. Massachusetts was home to many of the victims of that day. Each block carries a name: "Pedro Argones" on one, "Jocelyn Masterson" inscribed in the other. 'Apollo Communication Services '(Location) Apollo Communications is the main provider of telephone, broadband Internet, and cable television service in Kingsmouth. It's also a GenuCorp company. GenuCorp: the Genuine People Company. The most modern 911 emergency services are in use. All your local calls actually route through this single building. The multi-floor structure is little more than a striped box of plain, unadorned concrete and black, reflective windows, like some sort of squatting alien cube waiting to overtake the neighborhood in which it sits. Inside, banks of servers and machinery, customer service departments, records departments, and of course billing, pack every floor. Two armed guards on the front door, day and night, and one on the parking lot watch-house during the day, keep the place relatively safe. Although they do not actively monitor household or commercial accounts, the company will not hesitate to call local or federal authorities if they should detect or suspect illegal use of their Internet, telephone, or other services. Following federal guidelines, the FBI, NSA, or other large government intelligence or law enforcement agency can and will step in to discreetly monitor Comfast activity if they have cause to suspect criminal or terrorist activity. 'The Common '(Streetwise 1 Site) Dotted with huge oaks and elms, the Common is a large, square grassy area with benches and oversize granite flower planters. In the warmer months, Arkham's homeless sometimes make use of the benches as a place to sleep; as long as they do not bother the young mothers who use the common to sit and stroll with their children, they are left in peace. During inclement weather, the homeless use the nearby public library as shelter. The square is surrounded by a rusting iron fence, four feet high. The official entrance, a massive arch thought to have been designed by the Salem architect Samuel McIntyre, is found on the Peabody Avenue side, facing City Hall. 'Trolley Car '(Possible Haven) This large wooden shed on the edge of Independence Square houses “Bessy,” a 1911 trolley built by the St. Louis Car Company. Once home to the Arkham Trolley Company, now only Bessy remains. The trolley sat unattended, quietly rusting in the old shed for years, until the recent civic improvement project has refurbished both Bessy and the trolley shed with private donations. Now Bessy gleams like the day she rolled out of the production yard, although she is no longer in service. A short length of track allows Bessie’s 45 foot, 8-inch length to roll forward out of her shed gates for special occasions, such as the Fourth of July, when holiday activities are in full swing in the Square. Category:Chapman Fields Category:Downtown Category:Arkham Category:Locations Category:Streetwise sites Category:Investigation sites Category:Politics sites Category:Academics sites Category:Computer sites Category:Medicine sites Category:Empathy sites Category:Larceny sites Category:Intimidation sites Category:Housing